Saving a 200-year-old farmhouse in the hills of Zagorje, Slovenia

Detalles

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  Descripción

  We are the proud owners of a 200-year-old farmhouse in the hills of Zagorje, Slovenia! The house has been abandoned for about 20 years and needs serious help, and we are in the throws of a full, from-the-ground-up renovation. We are renovating the house with original methods and original materials as much as possible. These construction methods are not difficult, but they are time-consuming and require much physical labor. As we are only two people, we need extra help. The house is located a 15-minute drive or a 45-minute walk away from our current apartment. It's located in a quiet, quaint village in the hills, surrounded by forests and meadows.
  
  We are documenting the process through YouTube. Ask us for our channel on videos on our progress so far. Videos are posted close to real time, and they will give you a solid idea of our current progress.
  
  We, Luka and Alyson, are a young married couple. Alyson is from Portland, Oregon, United States, and Luka is from Zagorje, Slovenia. Alyson moved to Slovenia in 2020 to be with Luka, and we have been married since then. In the time that has passed, we have focused on traveling Europe. We have been avid hosts on other platforms, hosting over 50 people in two years. When we told a guest about our plans to buy the house, she recommended WorkAway, which is why we are here now. We have formed some of our most meaningful, lasting friendships through hosting, and we want to continue it.
  
  We are animal lovers and wanna-be homesteaders. In our apartment in Zagorje, we have a small zoo of animals, including two cats, fish, a lovebird, rabbits, and quail. We have maximized our small garden with food production, and we make many of our own products at home. We began our journey of self-sufficient and low-waste living as a way to reduce our carbon footprint, but it has brought us a deep love for our respective cultures, a rich connection to the earth, and lots of fun things to spend our day doing. We love spending time in nature, hiking and foraging and enjoying the change of the seasons. We will gladly share this part of our life with you.
  
  Our project is not a business. It is a private, personal microfarm. Produce is produced only for our own consumption and for our volunteers to eat as it is available.

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  Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje

  Ayuda en proyectos ecológicos

  Jardinería

  Construcción y bricolaje

  Cuidado de animales

  Cocinar para toda la familia

  Ayuda doméstica

  Mantenimiento general
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  Objetivos de sostenibilidad de las NU que intenta conseguir este anfitrión

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  ¿Que es esto?
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  Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje

  We will teach you local Slovenian culture and daily life. We try to create our own products in the traditional way, and we will happily teach you about Slovenian history, food, and culture. We can teach you foraging in the forests. The house is constructed in the old-world style and demonstrates much about the local history. We will be able to use the house and its surroundings to teach you about Slovenia in an in-depth and meaningful way.
  
  You will learn a lot about construction and home renovation. As we are the ones doing the work, we are happy to explain what we have accomplished, what we are working on, and how it will affect our plans in the future. We will happily teach you any skills that you want to learn, and give you time to practice anything that interests you. We are also landscape architects, converting the property into a self-sufficient microfarm, and will happily tell you all about the local plants, farming, gardening, and homesteading.
  
  If all you are doing is helping carry things and grab tools, we will happily just talk with you about our homes, our pasts, and anything under the sun. We try to make the experience light and fun and use the time to build meaningful friendships along the way.

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  Ayuda

  We need volunteers to help assist us as we do the work. We are the only ones working on the project, we need volunteers to assist us with projects that are made easier with more hands. Many tasks require digging, lifting and hauling different forms of material. These tasks are not difficult, but they are made easier and faster with more people.
  
  IMPORTANT: We are mimicking the original building methods that are authentic to the house. We understand many of these methods feel foreign, and people with years of construction experience will likely be doing things in ways they wouldn't normally. We are also working with minimal power tools, and many tasks are done with hand tools. If this makes you uncomfortable, we MAY NOT BE A GOOD FIT. Simple skills could include cutting wood, hammering, and drilling. More advanced skills could include plastering walls, infilling lime mortar, and mixing concrete.
  
  If you are interested in construction and old Slovenian heritage, this is an excellent way to learn. The house was constructed in the old-world style, using multiple mediums, including hardwood and limestone. The house also includes features that we will be restoring, including an antique farm-fruit press and a built-in Slovenian meat smoker room. We are learning along the way, and we love sharing these experiences with others.
  
  No skills are required for volunteers, and we will happily teach you everything you need to know to complete tasks. We will almost never leave volunteers to complete tasks alone, and any tasks that are given to do independently will be extremely low skill, low-risk tasks that can be completed anyway in any time frame. We always work together as a team to complete tasks, and volunteers are never asked to do work at the farm alone.
  
  AT THIS TIME, we are doing foundation tasks. The entire house is built on small limestone and mortar walls, some of which have fallen in disrepair, and all of which have no foundation. We must dig under the walls, one meter at a time, and pour a new concrete foundation. Because the house is built of limestone, this means no power tools can be used in this process, otherwise, it will crumble the foundation of the house. This is not a difficult project, however, it is extremely time-consuming and requires a lot of digging. We need volunteers who are physically able to assist with digging, hauling dirt, and mixing concrete. As required, we will be rebuilding the rock walls. This is an extremely unique part of the project, and we will happily teach you how to do it. It's an amazing opportunity for those who want to learn this skill.
  
  We are also turning the property into a hobby microfarm for us to become self-sufficient off the land. We need help maintaining the garden in between renovation tasks. These tasks include weeding, watering, and harvesting. We currently have two farm rabbits on the property that require minimal care, and we are building infrastructure to expand our livestock, meaning we need help building cages, coops, watering systems, mini pastures, ect. Volunteers will able to eat produce that is produced in the garden, as we often cook it fresh for ourselves and our volunteers.
  
  We will always ask ahead of time what tasks interest you, and try to tailor your stay to your interests and skills.
  
  Lastly, some help around our apartment in Zagorje would be a huge help. We both work full-time on top of the renovation, and find it difficult to keep the apartment tidy. We would appreciate some help keeping the apartment clean, cooking meals, and general house stuff.

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  Idiomas

  Idiomas hablados
  Inglés: Fluido
  Slovenian: Fluido
  Alemán: Intermedio

  Este anfitrión ofrece intercambio de idiomas
  Alyson would be interested in learning Spanish. Luka would be interested in practicing German. We can both practice English with you, and teach you Slovene.
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  Alojamiento

  The house that we are renovating is NOT livable, and you will NOT be staying in it, for your own health and safety. Instead, we offer our second bedroom in our apartment in Zagorje, Slovenia. You will be staying in our home, which means we will share the bathroom, kitchen, living room and outdoor space.
  
  Bedroom: The bedroom is a small private room on the same floor as our bedroom. It has a double bed, cabinet for personal items, and space for a small desk upon request. We provide all clean bedding, that rewashed and replaced once a week, or more or less upon request.
  
  Unfortunately, the entire upstairs is not well insulated, meaning it can be extremely cold in the winter and extremely hot in the summer. We provide an electric blanket or small electric heater in the winter and a fan in the summer. For cold snaps or heat waves, guests are welcome to sleep downstairs. But if you are a person that has trouble sleeping in heat or in cold, WE MAY NOT BE A GOOD FIT.
  
  Kitchen: The kitchen has a fridge, stove, oven, sink, washing machine and various appliances. No microwave.
  
  Living room: Television with cable, stereo, vinyl record player, couch.
  
  Bathroom: Shower, sink and toilet.
  
  Outdoor Space: A picnic table, bbq, outdoor sink, vegetable garden
  
  Note about pets:
  
  As is outlined earlier, we have a lot of pets, including two cats who rule the house. They are really furry, meaning that the cat hair gets around, and it's difficult to control. If you are a person that dislikes cat hair, we may not be a good fit. They also go where they please, meaning they may spend time in your room.

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  Algo más...

  Meals: On full work days, we provide hot meals, snacks and drinks on site. Sometimes we barbeque, sometimes we take volunteers out for local food. On half-work days, we guarantee one hot meal. On non-work days, we will still happily cook for you, as you are a guest in our home. You are welcome to cook with any food in the house. But we will not reimburse food that you purchase for yourself. This prevents us from having volunteers purchase large amounts of food and asking us to pay us for it after the fact. If you are hungry or need larger quantities of food, please just communicate this, and we will purchase more food to meet your needs.
  
  We are vegan and vegetarian friendly. We can cook our meals according to your dietary restrictions and preferences.
  
  Surrounding Region: The region we are located is called Zasavaje. It is a stunning region with a terrible Google problem. Due to its history as an industrial region, it has little to no tourism, meaning all of the stunning sites do not appear in a Google search. We have spent the last 4 years hiking all over the region, and we will send you all of the locations to see stunning mountain views, great food and the best cafes.
  
  Public Transport: Zagorje is accessible by both train and bus from the capital, Ljubljana. We are located at the geographical center of Slovenia, meaning every amazing site, from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea is less than 3 hours away by public transit. We are also located 15-minutes to the highway, meaning the rest of Slovenia is less than 2 hour drive away.
  
  Free Time: Our volunteers usually spend most of their time in the region, enjoying the quiet nature, away from the tourists. Usually, they will enjoy one or two days seeing other places in the country, such as Ljubljana, Piran or Lake Bled.

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  Un poco más de información

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    Acceso a Internet

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    Acceso a Internet limitado

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    Tenemos animales

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    Somos fumadores

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    Puede alojar familias

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  Puede acoger a nómadas digitales

  The guest bedroom has a desk and a reliable internet connection for digital nomads. The neighborhood is quiet and great for concentration.

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  Espacio para aparcar autocaravanas

  You can park the van either at our apartment or at the farmhouse.

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  ¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?

  Uno

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  Horas esperadas

  WEEKENDS REQUIRED: 5-hours max. Week Days: 3-4 hours, 3 Days a week

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